The use of vans and smaller truck vehicles for service intensive businesses has proliferated due to their great versatility. Plumbing contractors, appliance repair contractors and other labor intensive type of services have long used vans because of their unique convenience. Unlike the open beds of trucks, vans provide a covered enclosure that can be locked and secured, thereby protecting their contents. Shelving and storage containers may be mounted on the interior walls of the van and access to the interior is usually provided from the rear by adjoining doors that swing outward away from the van and by a sliding door on the side of such vans. Often, it is desirable to transport heavy machinery, appliances, or other cargo from a remote location back to the main warehouse or shop for further service.
There are many commercial systems available for open trucks and vans that have hoist systems mounted in the truck or van that facilitate the loading and unloading of heavy cargo. An example of a commercial lift system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,082, issued to Feldman et al., which is herein incorporated by reference. The system has a winch that successively winds and unwinds a cable. The system has two motors, a first motor moves a boom from a retracted to an advanced position, and the second motor controls the winding and unwinding of the cable. The system has a brake that prevents the unwinding of the winch. The system allows cargo to the lifted through a side door of a van, but is not capable of moving cargo between the front and back regions of a cargo area of the van.